


Angel Wings

by PartyPikachu



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Fluff, M/M, angel au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartyPikachu/pseuds/PartyPikachu
Summary: This is a very self indulgent fic that I wrote and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :)
Relationships: Benrey/Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Angel Wings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very self indulgent fic that I wrote and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :)

Benry was in a courthouse of some kind, with large pillars of marble holding up the building. Mosaics covered the walls showing the story of an angel slaying some foul beast. Benry couldn’t help but look about the room with his many eyes, soaking in all of the details. Many different beings with wings stood around the room, circling Benry, as they all whispered to each other. At the back was an angel covered in wings from head to toe, with a halo of white flame spinning above their head, and a blindfold covering their eyes.

"Benry… we are all here today to weigh in judgement for what you have done. You have set forth a chain of events that shall shatter barriers between Earth and the Abysmal plane, and shall be reprimanded for it. What do you say in your defense?" Spoke the angel.

"Uh… Archangel Cextra, weigher of souls, may I ask for uh forgiveness?" Benry asked in a monotone voice.

The angel let out a sigh, they knew this trial was not going to be easy.

"Benry… you can't ask for forgiveness out of nowhere…"

"Buh… but why not? Humans do it all the time." Benry said in a pouty tone.

"That's because they are humans. They don't know any better in most cases. You on the other hand, knew better." Cextra said while trying to keep their composition.

"But what was I supposed to do, man? Those humans were already cooking something up, I just gave them a nudge in the right direction."

"Yes, a nudge towards destruction and death. We are meant to protect that plane of existence, not endanger it!" Cextra said.

“Aw come on! How was I supposed to kno-“

“ENOUGH! You have single handedly set forth the events of Armageddon! What you have done is not a simple mistake or accident, your actions have consequences!” Cextra shouted as they slammed down their staff.

“It has been shown that you are irresponsible, neglectful, and in general, unfit to be an angel. We will have to make sure you learn how to act properly and appropriately.” Cextra said.

“Uh… excuse me, Cextra Weigher of Souls?” Said a smaller angel that was standing besides Cextra with a stone tablet and a small golden rod as he etched celestial writings into the stone.

Cextra turned their head to face the angel and bent down to speak to them, their entire composition changing from stern to soft.

“Yes, Thomas? What is it that you need?” Asked Cextra.

“What if- what if we have Benry fix what he caused? Maybe he’ll learn to become a responsible angel and e-earn his halo at the same time?” Said the small angel, Thomas.

Cextra stood there for a moment deep in their thoughts as their wings gently fluttered about, their hand fidgeting with the staff.

“Alright, if that’s the case, then who shall be willing to watch over Benry?” Cextra asked.

The entire room became silent as all the angels looked at each other, not a single one were going to volunteer to watch over Benry.

“If we don’t have anyone willing to watch over Benry, then I’m afraid he would have to go to the astral plane and help lost souls for centuries to come if he is to repent for what he has done.” Cextra said.

“Wait! W-what if I were to go and watch over Benry?” Thomas asked.

Cextra had a look of surprise on their face upon hearing those words as their wings flicked about like a cat waving its tail.

“Thomas, are you certain? You’ve never been to Earth before, and this mission would be a big responsibility. Are you prepared for the task ahead?” Cextra asked Thomas.

“M-more prepared than a firework on the 4th of July!” Thomas exclaimed as he gave a smile.

“Well then… it is decided… Benry, you shall go to Earth and help undo the damage you have caused. The human you will be assigned to is a man by the name of Gordon Freeman. You are to ensure he stays alive, on the path of good, and that he stops what you have caused. Is that clear?”

“Uh… yeah…” Benry said as his many eyes looked to face Cextra and then to Thomas.

“Good. Your mission starts… now.” Cextra said as they slammed their staff down onto the floor, suddenly transporting Benry to the Black Mesa facility. 

Benry lost his balance for a moment as he was inside a human body, something completely foreign to him. It felt strange to only have two eyes and no wings, and being on Earth physically was a whole new experience. The gravity was heavy and Benry tried taking a few steps, causing him to wobble about like a toddler.

“Woah, you alright there, buddy?” Asked one of the security guards.

Benry looked at his tag and was unable to read the human text on it, but it suddenly changed to celestial writing for him. The ID said “Barney Calhoun”

“Uh… yeah…” Benry said.

“You new on the job or something?” Asked Barney.

“Yeah… you could uh say that, bro.” Replied Benry, still getting used to his human body.

“Well once you’re done er… doing whatever you’re doing, we’ll need you at the entrance.” Barney said as he left the room.

A small crystal around Benry’s neck started glowing, he picked it up and Thomas appeared as an apparition.

“Hey Benry! You in Black Mesa too?” Thomas said with glee, excited for his first mission on Earth.

“Woah, hey Tommy! Uh thanks for saving me back there dude. Looks like I can continue messing around on Earth.” Benry said.

“Benry, this is serious, you caused a lot of trouble. Were it not for me, you probably would have lost your wings and been stuck on the astral plane by now.” Tommy said, trying to explain to Benry the severity of the situation.

“Eh what can happen? I’ll just stop the test myself.” Benry shrugged.

“Benry, that’s not gonna work. You need to protect Gordon Freeman, he’ll be here any minute now! Go to the entrance and stall him, I need to get some things set up.” Tommy said.

“Alright dude, I’ll go and distract Feetman.” Benry said as the call ended.

Benry went to the entrance of the facility and stood by the door, ready to do whatever he needed to distract the human. As if on queue, Gordon walked into the hallway through the doors.

Gordon was wearing nothing too outstanding, the usual lab coat with a tie and a button up shirt, but Benry couldn’t stop focusing on his face. He had long, curly, black hair being held in a ponytail, his skin was this deep, dark brown, and his eyes were also a beautiful brown. Benry had never thought of humans as beautiful… until now, when he locked eyes with Gordon. The man walked up to Benry who was standing in front of the door.

“Uh… howdy. Can I pass through?” Asked Gordon as he gently raised his hand and gave a wave.

“Wuh? Oh uh-“ Benry was caught off his guard by Gordon and had to think fast to stall him.

“Hey uh you’re not supposed to be here.” Benry said.

“What? What are you talking about, I work here?” Gordon said in confusion.

“Then where’s your ID?” Benry asked.

“What ID?”

“Your passport, bro. Can’t get in if you don’t have an ID.”

“Wh-...” Gordon took a deep breath.

“Why would I need my passport to get in?”

“It’s uh company policy.”

“Yeah? When?”

“Today.”

“Oh yeah, well I think you’re messing with me, there’s no way cuz I got no notification of this new policy. Can you show me where it says in this ‘new policy change’?”

“No can do, bro. Gotta have your passport to look at that info.”

Gordon’s jaw clenched as his entire body stiffened; he hadn’t even started work and he was already frustrated. Him running late didn’t help with his frustration, either. Gordon took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking.

“Please, just let me through, I’m running late and you’re kinda pissing me off-“

Gordon was cut off by Benry suddenly singing with tiny orbs of colors and light coming out of his mouth and gently pressing against Gordon’s face. He suddenly became calm and his entire body relaxed, any and all strained muscles were suddenly soothed. Gordon stood there absolutely confused about what just happened.

“What… the fuck was that?” Gordon asked.

“It’s uh… sweet voice, bro. It helps calm people down.” Benry said.

“That’s… that is…” Gordon stood there in shock and awe at what just happened, this was beyond any comprehension.

“It’s alright bro, I know it’s pretty cool and all.” Benry said with a smirk.

“No… no human should be able to do that…” Gordon muttered, still trying to understand what just happened.

“Well uh that’s because I’m not human, bro.” Benry said.

Gordon stood there trying to understand what Benry meant. Was this some elaborate prank someone set up for him? Why would someone prank him on an important day like this?

“Wh… whatever man, I need to get to work.” Gordon said as he tried walking past Benry.

Benry reached his arm out and gently grabbed Gordon by the arm, pulling him back.

“Woah dude, you ain’t getting in.” Benry said.

Gordon pushed Benry’s hand off his arm.

“I don’t care about your stupid bullshit game, let me in!” Gordon shouted.

Benry braced himself for having to deal with an angry human when a small celestial text appeared in the corner of his vision, it said “Everything is ready, let the human in. - Tommy”

Benry stepped out of Gordon’s way to let him pass.

“Fine you can go, but uh I’m gonna have to follow you so you uh… don’t steal anything.”

“You know what… fine whatever… just let me do my job.”

Benry followed Gordon down the halls and into a room full of computers lining the walls and a single HEV suit in a charging station in the corner. A man, in his early 60s, turned and looked at Gordon. He was a tall, lanky man with a mostly bald head save for the small tufts of white hair on the side of his head. His glasses blocked out any view into his eyes, and he wore a turtleneck sweater under a lab coat.

“Took you long enough! What was making you take your ti-“ the scientist looked over to Benry with a confused look.

“You’re not supposed to be here, you’re going to die without an HEV suit!” Said the scientist.

Benry looked at the ID tag, it said “Bubby.” Benry had to think of something quick to convince the scientist to let him in the test chamber with Gordon.

“Yeah man, if you go in there you’re gonna die! There’s gonna be radiation and shit in there!” Gordon added in.

“It’s okay, I have my passport.” Benry said as he had an orb of sweet voice float out and touch Bubby's face. Bubby suddenly became less tense and stood for a second trying to process his thoughts.

“Oh… well, alright then.” Bubby said as he walked away.

“See what happens when you bring your passport, bro?” Benry said.

Gordon turned to face Benry, his jaw was dropped from what he had seen.

“What the fuck was that?! Did- did you just possess him or some shit?!” Gordon shouted at Benry.

“Huh? Oh nah it’s more like making a suggestion than possession, only, like, spirits and demons can do that, bro.” Benry said apathetically.

“Are you saying you’re a fucking demon?!” Gordon said as he blinked his eyes, absolutely dumbfounded by what Benry was saying.

“No dude, you weren’t listening, I said-“

Benry was cut off by Bubby.

“Can’t you two hurry up?! We don’t have all day arguing like dumbasses!” Snarled Bubby, who just wanted the test to be over with so he could continue the rest of his day.

“Alright, I’ll get the suit on.” Gordon said as he went over to the HEV station and put the suit on as if it was like any other piece of clothing.

Benry couldn’t help but watch Gordon try to fit himself, a big man with both muscle and fat, covered in body hair, into such a small suit. He had no remarkable features on him except for two identical medical scars on his chest and stretch marks on his thighs. Gordon looked up halfway through to see Benry was staring.

“Uh, can I have SOME privacy?” Gordon asked.

“Huh?”

“Can you not watch me get undressed?”

“Oh uh yeah.” Benry said as he turned the other way.

-Humans are weird, man.- Benry thought to himself.

-They gotta put on clothes n shit just to survive some radiation like some fuckin’ baby. Little baby Freeman need a suit cuz he can’t stand radiation.-

The thought caused Benry to chuckle a bit, but was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the blast doors leading to the test chamber closing behind Gordon.

“Fuck…” Benry said to himself, realizing he just let the human he was meant to protect slip through his watch.

Benry looked around the room to see if there were any humans nearby. The Only human in the room was Bubby and he was far too focused on the computer equipment to be paying attention. 

Energy radiated through Benry's body as he gave a soft glow. First time he had to do this in a human body, everything felt fuzzy and tingly as he pressed against the wall leading into the test chamber. At first there was resistance, but once his hands came through the wall, the rest of his body came tumbling through and onto the floor.

“Agh…”

Benry got up and shook his body.

“That was unepic…”

Next thing Benry knew, the massive blast doors opened up, revealing Gordon Freeman on the other side. Gordon saw Benry standing there, causing him to put his arms out and scream “HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET THERE?!”

“Uh…” Benry stood there trying to figure out what to say to explain it.

“Y-... you know what, I’m not even gonna question it. It’s your own funeral, dude.” Gordon said as he entered the room and got himself into position.

Benry looked around the room, his eyes wandered towards a window that led into the observation room, high above both of them, he saw a familiar figure standing behind the glass.

“YOOOOO TOMMY!” Benry shouted excitedly, happy to see a friend in this place. Tommy looked down to see Benry and Gordon in the test chamber.

“Uh… hi!” Tommy replied through the microphone.

The interaction caused Gordon to look at Tommy and then Benry.

“Wait, you know him?” Gordon asked as he looked to Tommy and then Benry again, absolutely confused. 

The same strange man he met at the break room who only drank soda and couldn’t read what the bulletin board said was friends with an inhuman security guard who did nothing but follow Gordon around and use sweet voice.

“Yeah, Tommy likes mean people.” Benry said with a smirk.

A second figure appeared next to Tommy, it was Bubby.

“Gordon!” Shrieked Bubby on the microphone.

“You know what you need to do, right? Get up the ladder and press the fucking button!” Bubby said.

“Yeah, yeah! I know what I’m doing!” Gordon yelled back as he started climbing the ladder.

“Then why aren’t you doing it?!”

“Because I’m climbing the ladder, fuckwit! I’m already stressed today, you don’t wanna be one of those stressors!” Gordon screamed back as he climbed to the top. Benry followed suit, scaling the ladder in a matter of seconds.

“Woah! How the fuck do you climb it up that fast?” Gordon asked as he gestured his hands to Benry, absolutely dumb founded.

“I dunno.” Benry said with a shrug. Gordon gave a deep sigh as he realized that it would be better if he didn’t question the security guard.

“You know what… whatever man.” Gordon said with a defeated sigh.

Gordon then went to the panel and pressed the button, causing a cart with a massive orange crystal to rise up from the ground. Gordon climbed down the ladder as a massive machine in the center of the room started emitting a massive yellow beam. Tommy’s voice came through the observation room speaker.

“Do you see the next step?” Asked Tommy.

“Yeah, I see it!” Replied Gordon.

“Okay so, you need to push it in slower… than molasses… drips off a spoon.”

“Alright, I’ll push it in!” Replied Gordon as he grabbed the sample and started pushing. 

Something inside Benry’s head shouted, as if it was an exclamation point appearing over his head as one would find in an old cartoon.

Next thing Benry knew, the machine started to act up as green beams of light started shooting throughout the room. Benry ran over to Gordon and tackled him, spreading out his wings and wrapping them around the human in order to offer some protection. Next thing Benry knew they were suddenly in Xen, with his wings still wrapped around a screaming human. Gordon couldn’t see anything due to the low visibility from his HEV suit, and Benry blocked any and all vision Gordon did have.

“What are you doing?!” Screamed out Gordon.

“I’m protecting you, man!” Benry shouted back.

Next thing Gordon knew they both were back in Black Mesa.

While Gordon and Benry were gone Tommy and Bubby stood in the observation room, the machine shooting out green sparks as if it were some monster flailing its tendrils angrily. Bubby was frantically pressing buttons on the computer trying to shut off the machine.

“God damn it, it’s not shutting off! Tommy, try pressing the emergency shut off swi-“ Bubby’s words were cut off by an explosion from the test chamber, causing him to fly back as shattered glass and metal shards flew through the room. 

The scientist hit the wall and was knocked unconscious upon impact. Tommy ran over to check on the old man to only some scratches on his face, but nothing too bad. Then came the second explosion, fire blew into the room as the flames scorched everything around them. 

Debris from the ceiling collapsed down around the two of them, with Tommy using his wings to protect the human from the rubble. Tommy was holding up the piece of ceiling, trying to prevent both of them from being crushed, but while in a human body the task was becoming more and more impossible as his endurance started to run out.

Next thing Tommy knew, the heavy piece of concrete the size of a car was lifted off his shoulder. He tried looking around to see who or what did that, but he couldn’t see past the smoke. An unfamiliar voice spoke out.

“We need to get you two out of here!”

The voice shouted as Bubby was lifted by unfamiliar hands and carried out of the room, with Tommy following. Only when they exited the room was Tommy able to see who it was that had saved them both.

It was an old man, in his mid 60s, he was short and wide, with a mostly bald head save for the thick, white tufts of curly hair on the sides and his thick moustache. His skin was a very dark brown that sometimes looked like there were specks of gold when in the right light, and his eyes were a deep emerald green. The man gave off the same energy that a grandfather would have, someone who was warm and sweet. He was holding an unconscious Bubby in his arms as if he was holding a bride.

“Thank goodness I made it here in time, you two were about to be crushed like grapes!” Said the man.

“H-how did you do that?” Tommy asked, amazed that a human could lift up hundreds of pounds of concrete with ease.

“Oh, it’s simple, just training and fighting, Tommy.” The man said as he gently placed Bubby down onto the floor with so much care. It was surprising seeing someone capable of such strength being so gentle.

“T-Tommy? How did you know my name?” Asked Tommy. The man had a surprised look on his face for a moment before he shifted it to his usual smile.

“Well that’s because of your erm… your name tag! I’m Doctor Coomer. Thank you for saving my husband’s life!” Coomer said with a big smile. 

Tommy looked over to Bubby on the floor and couldn’t believe a man such a Coomer, someone with such positive energy surrounding him, could love someone as snarky and rude as Bubby. Tommy then felt a wave of anxiety crash over him as he remembered Gordon and Benry were in the test chamber.

“We need to get-get Gordon and Benry to safety!” Tommy shouted as he ran towards the test chamber, but in a matter of seconds, right in front of Tommy, appeared Gordon and Benry in a flash of green. Benry looked around and quickly put his wings away before Gordon could see.

“W-what the FUCK was that?!” Gordon screamed out as he got back up. 

A lump grew in the back of Tommy’s throat, thinking that Gordon saw Benry’s wings.

“I… oh my fucking gods… I did it… I caused a resonance cascade!” Gordon said.

Tommy and Benry looked at each other, confused. Was this what Cextra was talking about? Was the resonance cascade the breaking of barriers? Gordon took the HEV helmet off and put his back against the wall as he slid down. 

“How… how many people are going to die because of me?” Gordon said as he sat there, still trying to process what had just happened. 

He couldn’t believe it, he was the one who spearheaded the project, he was the one who decided to continue working despite the risks, he was willing to do whatever it took to gain knowledge, and now so many people, people who did nothing wrong, were going to pay the price for Gordon’s pursuit of knowledge.

Benry stood there and watched Gordon put his face into his hands. Something in Benry stirred, as if this was somehow his fault, but Benry brushed it off.

-Humans were being big dumb babies, they should have known better than to listen to some random angel. Cringe little babies not even knowing how to use knowledge properly.- Benry thought to himself in hopes of feeling better but… the ache inside of him grew even more. 

-This wasn’t my fault, dude. Feetman was the one who did it, he was the one who pushed the sample in.- Benry thought, but even he knew that was just a hollow excuse. None of the lies he told himself made the situation any better, and his ache started to grow considerably when Gordon started crying.

“I-I caused this… I’ve killed or, am going to, kill so many people…” Gordon said as tears started to roll down his face. 

Benry and Tommy looked to each other, neither knowing how to comfort a crying human. Benry kneeled down next to Gordon.

“Hey man it’s uh… it’s not your fault bro… you didn’t know, man. How could you have, you’re a human…”

“But I still caused this! I was the one who led the project, I was the one who was in the test chamber! It was all my faul-“

Gordon was cut off by Benry’s stream of sweet voice, the stream of floating little balls of light were changing from orange to a brown color. All of the tension in his muscles disappeared as his panicked thoughts melted away.

“Orange to brown means it’s time to calm down.” Tommy said, explaining to Gordon the meaning of the sweet voice colors.

“We uh… we need to get you out of here, bro…” Benry said as he got up from the floor.

“But what about the other people? Shouldn’t we help them?” Gordon asked as he got himself up.

“Uh we can try, I guess… but we need to get going now, bro.” Benry said as he started walking down the corridor with Gordon and Tommy following. 

They stopped when they saw Coomer and Bubby standing around, trying to figure out what to do.

“Bubby! Oh thank the gods you’re alive-“ Gordon said with relief in his voice, but was cut off by an angry Bubby.

“You were the motherfucker that fucked this whole test up!” Snarled Bubby as he pointed a finger at Gordon.

“Wait, you think I fucked it up?”

“I think you fucked it up.”

“How?! I did exactly as I needed, the project was a mistake the whole time!”

“Wait, you knew the project was a bad idea and continued anyways?!”

“No! I didn’t know! I know now because of the whole fucking resonance cascade thing!”

“You’re a huge fucking dumbass, Gordon! I have half the mind to-“

Coomer gently grabbed Bubby’s shoulder.

“Bubby, I think you need a moment to calm down. All of us bickering isn’t going to fix what has happened.” Coomer said, which caused Bubby slightly dropped his head as he gave a sigh.

“Y… you’re right Harold…” Bubby said as he pushed his glasses back up.

“We- we need to find a way outta here.” Tommy said.

“Yeah he’s right. We need to find a way to get out of Black Mesa.” Gordon said.

“Do any of you guys know how to get out of here?” Gordon asked. Everyone looked to each other, wondering if anyone here knew.

“I erm… I’ll be honest with you, Gordon… I’ve never been ‘authorized’ to leave Black Mesa, so no, I don’t know how to get out.” Bubby said as he looked down.

“Uh I didn’t memorize the map, man…” Benry said.

“Okay uh… how about you, Coomer? You’ve worked here the longest, you should know how to get out, right?”

“Well, actually Gordon, I don’t.” Coomer said as he shrugged.

“But your HEV suit should have a minimap that can help us get out of here!”

Coomer said. Gordon looked around his suit trying to see if he actually did have a mini map.

“I don’t have a minimap, man.”

“Wh… why not?” Coomer said with heartbreak and sadness in his voice.

“Oh- I know how to get out, Mr. Freeman!” Tommy exclaimed with excitement.

“You do?”

“Yeah! I memorized the entire Black Mesa map!”

“Wait… shouldn’t we, you know, try to get as many survivors as possible? I’m not gonna just let people die!” Gordon said.

Everyone stood around for a second, they didn’t really like the idea. Tommy wasn’t so certain about putting Gordon in danger and Benry just wanted to finish the task of protecting the human so he could get back to whatever he wanted to do. Bubby then spoke up.

“Well that would be a stupid idea! We need to leave this place, not play hero!”

“I’m not playing hero, Bubby, I’m owning up to and fixing my mistakes. Maybe you should do that for once in your life, huh?”

“Oh so now you’re gonna use the whole incident as a way to insult me?”

“What I’m saying is maybe you should care about others for once in your life!”

“Oh yeah? How about you shove your head up your-“

Tommy got between the two.

“We don’t need to fight! A-and Mr. Freeman is right, we need to help people!”

Benry then stepped up, ready to support Tommy.

“Uh yeah, like what Feetman said, we uhhhhh gotta help people, man.”

Bubby saw that he was basically outnumbered, Coomer just stood there and watched the argument. It also didn’t help that Tommy, who took Gordon’s side, was the only one who knew how to get out of here.

“I… I- fine… I guess my only choice is to be with you fuckwits…” Bubby said with a defeated sigh.

“Well then, Gordon, lead the way.” Coomer said.

“Alright well first things first, we need to get to the locker rooms, that’s where everyone would go to during an emergency event.”

Gordon said. Tommy nodded and started to walk towards the direction of the locker rooms. As the group walked down the halls and corridors, it all felt… uneasy. As if there was a growing darkness in the facility, even Tommy and Benry could feel as if there was something tugging at despair and darkness. The feeling became its strongest when they approached the door to the locker rooms, as if there was an abyss inside. Tommy stopped in front of the door, this was the first time he felt scared in his life.

“Uh-uh Mr. Freeman, are you ce-certain you want to go in there? I-I don’t feel like it’s a good idea.”

“I have to, Tommy. We gotta get people outta here.” Gordon said as he opened the door. 

Standing in the room were facility staff members but there was something deeply wrong… they moved in unnatural ways and their eyes, they looked as if they lacked any souls. All Gordon could see were his coworkers, but something was wrong.

Meanwhile Tommy and Benry felt a chill run up their spines, they could see the demons possessing these humans. Their forms were terrifying, many faces twisted in pain as the demons wailed. Coomer got himself into a fighting stance, Gordon froze in place, not certain what was going on, while Benry summoned his divine weapon.

Next thing Gordon knew, the security guard rushed into the room with a trident and began attacking the people.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” Gordon screamed out, not understanding what was happening. 

When Benry stabbed his trident through a scientist, it left no wounds, no blood, nothing. Just a momentary scream and then the person collapsed. Tommy gently pulled Gordon back while Coomer rushed in to aid Benry, he threw punches that looked like they had so much force behind them, but just like with Benry, none of the blows harmed the body.

Benry could see the demons hissing as they charged him, but these imps were of no match against an angel skilled in combat. When he saw Coomer fighting alongside him, he could see ethereal green energy radiating from the fists of the doctor as he fought more and more demons. Benry never saw any humans capable of fighting demons, especially with their fists.

Once all of the imps were removed from the humans bodies, Benry’s trident dissipated into the air from his hands. 

“Fine work, Benry. We showed those demons a thing or two, eh?” Coomer said as he gave a hard pat on Benry’s back.

“How did you uh… do that thing… the thing with your hands?” Benry asked, not certain how a human could even do what Coomer had done.

“Ah, all of it is from training and fighting, my dear boy.” Coomer said with a warm smile.

Benry wasn’t certain to believe Coomer when he said that, something was up. Gordon walked into the room, looking at the unconscious scientists on the floor, he then looked back up to Benry and Coomer.

“How the fuck did you two do that?” Gordon asked.

“Wuh?”

“I said how the fu-“

“Oh yeah that trident was uhhh… my passport. See what happens when you bring your passport, baby Feetman?”

Tommy was standing behind Gordon trying not to let out a laugh from what Benry said, meanwhile Gordon stood there with his jaw dropped. He regained his composure and walked up to the security guard, putting a finger in his face.

“Tell me right now what that really was. I know you’ve been bullshitting me all day long, Benry. You admitted you weren’t even human, so tell me what you are!” Gordon said as he got into Benry’s face.

“It’s uhhhhhhhhh confidential, man. Can’t tell you.” Benry said with a shrug.

Gordon buried his face into his hands, he was so tired. He wanted to be home, he wanted this day to be a normal day, he was scared, and the only way Gordon could cope with fear was through knowledge, something that was out of his grasp.

Tommy could feel how scared Gordon was, and he wanted to help him but he didn’t really know how to comfort an upset human. The least he could do is to at least explain what happened, so Tommy went up to Gordon and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Freeman… we’re- we’re uh… we’re not really… human…” Said Tommy as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I know that Benry isn’t human with the whole having a fucking trident and the whole sweet voice thing.” Gordon said.

“Well I’m not human either. We-we’re angels, we were sent down to protect you, Mr. Freeman.” Tommy said.

“No… no, no, no! No fucking way, aliens make more sense than angels!” Gordon said as he shook his head, not believing a single word Tommy said.

“That’s some of the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever heard of! This isn’t some fairy tale, Dr. Coolatta, and it’s certainly an inappropriate time to be making stuff up in the middle of the fucking apacolypse!” Bubby said, thinking that Tommy was either stupid or naive.

“Hey man, no need to be a shit head to my friend. He’s right, bro. How else did I suddenly pull out a trident outta nowhere, dude?” Benry said as he took a step towards Bubby. 

“I dunno, nano technology or some bullshit.” Bubby said as he shrugged his arms and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah? Well then uhhhh fucking explain this, bro.” Benry said as two massive pairs of wings pop out from Benry’s back, causing Gordon and Bubby to take a step back in shock.

“Can your fucking uh cringe ass baby nano tech do this?” Benry then asked as he flapped his wings, causing a gust of air to hit Bubby’s face.

“Anyone in the biotech department can add wings to a person! What makes you any different?” Bubby said as he scrunched his nose up and crossed his arms, he didn’t want to be proven wrong.

“Yeah well how about I-“ Benry said as he took a step closer to Bubby, multiple eyes started to appear on his body, but was stopped when Tommy put a hand on Benry’s shoulder, meanwhile Coomer got between Bubby and Benry.

“Benry, no! You’re gonna hurt him, he’s a human he can’t understand what you’d look like.” Tommy said.

Gordon watched the entire conversation play out, absolutely baffled by what was happening. He didn’t know what to do, his mind raced with so many questions. Benry could be an angel, he could also be something completely different, like an experiment that was permitted to wander the halls of Black Mesa, or something. Angels were beyond scientific reasoning and despite the evidence being in front of him, Gordon couldn’t accept the fact that Benry really was an angel.

“I-I can show you, Bubby. My form uh doesn’t hur-hurt humans like Benry’s, just let me show you.” Tommy said.

“Well then, let’s see it then.” Bubby said as he scoffed.

Dark blue wings unfolded from Tommy’s back, and within those wings were many shining stars within them, all of them twinkling gently against the dark blue. A halo also appeared above Tommy’s head, it was a thin line, as if he had a single glowing neon tube floating above him as the halo warmly illuminated his face. His eyes were filled with nothing but the void of space and that of many galaxies. Bubby’s jaw dropped upon seeing Tommy’s true angelic form as he nearly fainted in Coomer’s arms. Tommy gasped and quickly retracted his wings as his form returned to normal.

“A-are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to frighten you!” Tommy said with concern in his voice, he underestimated how fragile humans really were.

Gordon was also taken back by what he just saw, so much he had to sit down onto a bench that the locker room had to stop himself from falling. An angel, something that should have been beyond all possibility, was right in front of him, and they were here to protect him? He was confused, why did they choose him? Why didn’t they stop the resonance cascade?

“I-I’m fine…” Bubby said as he got himself back up.

“I… I don’t know what to say… holy shit…” Bubby said as he removed his glasses to be certain his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

“Bubby, are you going to be fine?” Coomer asked as he continued to gently hold Bubby in his arms.

“I… yes I should be fine it’s just… well you don’t see an angel every day, Harold!” Bubby said with excitement, a new thing to research, imagine all of the possibilities!

“May I… may I see your form again? I want to get a good look.” Bubby asked as he fidgeted his hands. Bubby’s entire disposition changed from cranky to that of childlike wonderment.

“Uh… sure?” Tommy said as he entered his angel form again, his wings spreading out.

“Amazing… may I touch your wings, Doctor Coolatta?” Bubby asked.

“Y-yeah, but please be gentle.” Tommy asked,

Coomer stood by intently watching, making sure his husband didn’t commit any faux pas or accidentally get himself hurt. Though angels rarely had ill intent towards humans, Coomer had seen enough times where a human and angel didn’t come out of their interactions unscathed.

Bubby placed his hand onto one of Tommy’s wings and ran his hand down, as if he was gently petting a cat. The texture of Tommy’s wings were so soft… the feeling of warmth and comfort filled Bubby as he stroked Tommy’s wings. Bubby continued to pet them for a while, what felt like forever to Tommy.

Coomer could see slight discomfort enter Tommy’s eyes as Bubby continued to pet Tommy’s wings for what felt like a couple of minutes.

“My dear, maybe you should stop, I think there has been enough petting of wings for now.” Coomer said as he gently placed a hand on Bubby’s shoulder, causing Bubby to snap back to reality.

“Oh you’re… you’re right. I’m sorry.” Bubby said as he pulled his hand away.

Gordon, after a while of internally screaming and trying to figure out what to ask, finally stood up.

“Uh hey so… since you guys are angels and you’re here to uh… protect me… why didn’t you try stopping the resonance cascade?” Gordon asked in a way that wouldn’t come off as rude, he didn’t want to anger the same angels who can summon weapons at will.

“Well uhh… dude I actually don’t know, man… Tommy, you said I couldn’t stop the test, any idea why?” Benry asked as he turned to face Tommy.

“Oh well uh- well uhm… it-it’s a fixed point in time, basically. The moment you started the project there was um… no-no turning back…” Tommy said as he fidgeted with his fingers.

“What do you mean there was no turning back?” Gordon asked.

“As in no matter what, regardless of outside intervention, this would have happened. I went through every scenario and no matter what, the-the test or cascade would have happened, so I uh- I took the path that would cause the least amount of harm. I-I’m sorry Gordon.” Tommy said.

“Oh…” Gordon said, the weight of what he had caused becoming even more unbearable.

“I-it’s gonna be okay Mr. Freeman. We-we were sent down here to help you stop Armageddon.” Tommy said, trying to comfort Gordon, but all Gordon gave him was a confused look.

“I’m sorry, Armageddon? What the fuck is that?” Gordon asked.

“Wel uhm… it goes by many names, Ragnarok, the end of days, apocalypse, and so on. It’s when the abysmal plane has a final assault against all other planes of existence.”

“A-abysmal plane?! Like the void?” Gordon asked, all of this information made no sense.

“What our dear Tommy is trying to explain is that there are multiple planes of existence, Gordon. You see, this plane, the one we are on, is called the Earth Plane. It is where you and every living thing in your universe lives. Tommy and Benry come from the angelic plane, a place where angels and divinity live, who are sworn to protect all planes of existence. The abysmal plane is a place where the void exists, nothing but demons live there, and the void hungers for souls, so it lures in spirits and angels alike, which is how demons come into existence.” Coomer said in a matter of fact tone.

“Then there’s the infernal plane, a place where the fire of creation, not to be mistaken for the light of creation, lives. Spirits and angels that were cast out would be huddled by the fire in hopes of not being absorbed and corrupted by the abysmal plane long before the infernal plane came into existence. The first infernal was a spirit that doused themselves in said flame of creation and soon led an army of other infernals as they invaded half of the abysmal plane and set it ablaze in a glory of fire!” Coomer said, as if he was telling an epic story.

Everyone looked at Coomer, surprised, how did he know all about this? Gordon could barely keep up with what Coomer was saying.

“Harold, how did you know this? And how come you never told me about it?” Asked Bubby.

“Oh well- erm… you see Bubby, I had parents who were… how do I say it? Ah yes, they were priests and priestesses to a pagan god of knowledge, different from the common pantheon you all know, and this was part of their religious literature. I never believed it myself, well until now, that is.” Coomer said.

Something inside Benry knew that what Coomer said was a complete lie, but what could he do? Yeah he could call Coomer out, but then it would cause everyone to stand around and argue, making it harder to get Gordon out of Black Mesa. And Coomer obviously wasn’t a demon, could he be an infernal or just a powerful spirit?

“Wait so you’re saying I’m going to stop the end of the world?!” Gordon said, once he was finally able to process what was being said.

“Well… yes, you’re going to save the world, Gordon.” Coomer said with a smile.

Gordon was on the verge of having a meltdown that was only stopped when the scientists on the floor started to move again as they slowly regained consciousness, the team helped them all get themselves back on their feet or onto a bench. One of the scientists that got up then started to speak.

“What… what happened? Why were we all on the floor?”

“Oh uh… resonance cascade, bro. Knocked you all out.” Benry said.

“But… but then how come I remember something horrific attacking all of us?” Asked the scientist.

“It was uh… just a hallucination caused by the cascade.” Benry said as sweet voice filled the room, causing all of the scientists to become less tense as they accepted the suggestion, too tired to question it.

“Ah… yes… that would make sense…” replied the scientist.

“Uh you should all evacuate. Like get out of here, and uhhh use the tram system to get out, dude.” Benry said.

The team escorted every one of the scientists to the tram station that would take them out of the facility. At the station were many more scientists and security guards, all making sure everyone was evacuated. Barney approached the team.

“Holy shit I thought you all died when the explosion happened. You guys got any idea on what happened?” Asked Barney.

“We uh…” Benry was about to explain but Gordon spoke out.

“I-... I caused the resonance cascade…” Gordon said.

The other scientists at the trams all looked at Gordon, most with expressions of shock and horror on their faces upon hearing those words.

“What’s going to happen to us?” Asked a scientist.

Soon the rest of the staff all started to panic as talking filled the station, with security guards trying to calm down the crowd.

“We’re going to lose everything! We can’t be calm! I don’t want to die, I don’t want my family to die!” Shouted one of the people.

“Y-you’re not going to die! Nobody is! Just please we need to keep our heads on and get outta here!” Barney pleaded with the crowd.

“No one is going to die or lose their families, I’m going back in there to reverse it. We have an Inverse Spectrometer in the facility to undo the effects, in case a resonance cascade like this one happened. ” Gordon said as he turned around ready to enter Black Mesa again.

“Woah hold it! I’m not gonna let you get yourself killed! People were already sent in there, but we lost all communication with them!” Barney said as he grabbed Gordon by the shoulder.

“Barney, I know you’re my friend, but I need to go in there! If I don’t help them get the Inverse Spectrometer going, people are going to die! And I’m one of the few people around who know how to operate that thing! An-and even if I can’t undo it, I can’t just stand by and do nothing! Not again, not after Joshua!” Gordon said.

Barney stood there, with his hand still on Gordon, trying to figure out what to say.

“Gods damn it, Gordon. I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.” Barney said as he let go of Gordon.

“Please just… promise you don’t get killed.” Said Barney as he gave Gordon a long hug.

“I won’t let that happen.” Replied Gordon as he returned the hug, the two of them standing there in an embrace for one last time. 

“Goodbye, Gordon…”

“Bye, Barney… stay safe man.” Gordon said as he let go and started walking back into Black Mesa.

“Wait, Mr. Freeman! I’m going with you!” Tommy shouted as caught up with Gordon, Benry trailing behind.

“I am also going with you.” Coomer added in.

“Coomer, shouldn’t you evacuate with the other scientists?” Gordon asked.

“Nope!” Coomer said with a smile.

“You do realize this could kill you, right?”

“I highly doubt that, Gordon.” Coomer said with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Okay… so now I got two angels and a human… this is not going to be easy…" Gordon said.

"Wait, Harold! I'm not going without you!" Bubby shouted as he catched up with the group.

"Bubby, I know you love me, but this is your chance at freedom. You can get on a tram and get out of here, not even have to think about Black Mesa ever again!" Coomer said as he turned around and tenderly grabbed Bubby by the hand.

"I know but… but I'd be lost without you. What's the point of escaping if I can't escape with you?" Replied Bubby.

"Honey… if you go in there with me… you could die." Coomer said as he looked Bubby in the eyes.

"And has that ever stopped me?" Bubby said with a slight chuckle.

"No, I guess not." Coomer said with a warm smile, of course Bubby wouldn't be scared as long as Coomer was nearby.

"Then let's go and save the world… together…" Bubby said as he embraced Coomer.

"Together… no matter what, we'll always be side by side…" Replied Coomer.

"Wait, Bubby's coming too? Wouldn't he get easily hurt?" Gordon asked.

"Oh come now, I'm the ultimate life form! I have powers and knowledge that no other human has!" Bubby said in an offended tone.

"I… you know what, okay fine. Sure, why not." Gordon said as he started walking down the hall again.

They entered the facility, into the eye of the storm, ready to undo the resonance cascade. It smelt like there was a tinge of sulfur in the air as everyone could feel something heavy bearing down on them as if it was a thick blanket. The entire place was so empty and… quiet… something felt wrong.


End file.
